The present invention generally relates to a stroller having an infant retention member for preventing an infant lying in the seating area of the stroller from rolling forward out of the stroller.
In many known child strollers and carriages, the backrest of the child seating area can be pivoted between a sitting position and a reclined or lying position. When the backrest is in the fully reclined position, the child can be laid down in the seating area.
If the stroller is equipped with a fully reclinable backrest, the stroller must have a child retention structure so that, in the event that the stroller is stopped abruptly, the child""s forward movement is arrested, and the child remains in the seating area. One commercially available stroller includes a fabric extension that extends from the front of the seat portion of the seating area and that can be releasably attached to a child tray mounted to the stroller. The fabric extension, when attached to the child tray, closes off the front area of the stroller between the upper surface of the seat portion and the child tray. That fabric extension, along with the side panels and the backrest/canopy back, creates an enclosure to surround a child lying in the seating area. If the stroller is stopped abruptly and the child continues to move forward, the child""s forward movement is arrested by the fabric extension, preventing the child from tumbling forward out of the stroller.
Although this type of fabric extension keeps the child in the stroller, use of such a fabric extension requires that the child tray stay mounted to the stroller. Many child caregivers, however, prefer to remove the child tray from the stroller, for example, when storage or travel space is a concern. Therefore, there is a need for a more versatile stroller equipped with a seat back recline feature and a child retention structure.
An embodiment of the invention relates to a seat assembly for a stroller. The seat assembly includes a seat and a backrest extending from a back side of the seat. The seat assembly further includes an infant retention member having a main section. The retention member is movable between a stowed position and a use position. When the retention member is in the stowed position, the main section lies over the seat so that an infant sitting on the seat sits on the main section. When the retention member is in the use position, the main section stands substantially upright from the seat to block forward movement of an infant lying on the seat.
The seat assembly can include left and right side panels that connect to left and right sides of the seat and the backrest. In such an embodiment, the retention member further can include left and right sections that extend from left and right sides of the main section and that are attached to the left and right side panels. The retention member can have a substantially U-shaped profile formed by the main section and the left and right sections. The left and right sections preferably are foldable to fit flush with the left and right side panels, respectively, when the retention member is in the stowed position.
The left and right sections each can be substantially triangular, with one side attached to the main section and another side attached to the respective left or right side panel. Each of the left and right sections can have a substantially right triangular shape with a hypotenuse side attached to the respective left or right side panel.